Blackpool vs Arsenal Predictions

Blackpool may have made it to the FA Cup 3rd Round with their extra time win over Solihull Moors a few weeks ago, but they’re not coming into this difficult clash in the highest spirits at the moment.

New Year’s Day saw them slump to another disappointing defeat as they hosted Sunderland, a result which makes it 4 games without a win and pushes The Seasiders down to 10th in the League One table.

This run of form has seen their hopes of reaching the playoffs diminish rapidly. They are now 10 points adrift of the League One top 6, but a giant killing in the FA Cup could well boost confidence enough to get them back on track.

Arsenal also endured a difficult festive period, but they kicked off 2019 in style as they hammered Fulham 4-1 at the Emirates. This was a welcome distraction from the fact that they ended 2018 with a 5-1 loss to Liverpool, but there are clear problems in the Arsenal squad at the moment.

Going forward they do look irresistible at times, but defensively they are nothing short of shocking. They haven’t kept a competitive clean sheet in any of their last 6 competitive outings and have shipped 13 goals in this period. They have only had 8 shutouts in their 30 competitive matches this season, and 5 of those have come in the Europa League.

Blackpool did fail to score against Sunderland on Tuesday, but the hosts not finding the net at Bloomfield Road isn’t a common occurrence this season. They have scored in 14 of their 18 competitive home games this term, and they’re facing an Arsenal side who are yet to keep a domestic clean sheet when away from home this season.

Not only this, but Blackpool managed to score when these 2 sides met at the Emirates earlier this season in the Carabao Cup. That game ended 2-1 to Arsenal, and we fancy the hosts to grab a goal on Saturday as well, so we’re backing Both Teams to Score along with a 3-1 win for the visitors.